Chapter 147 (edited)

Although with the power of Dr. Manhattan, the two easily entered the quantum realm, even gaining the ability to travel across universes, it wasn't as simple as it seemed. For instance, Kara suddenly noticed the shadow of a massive wall in front of them.

"The Wall of Origin."

Even though it was her first time seeing it, Kara instinctively knew its name.

Indeed, it was the Wall of Origin—a boundary of profound significance and complexity, one that would undoubtedly be discussed in greater detail later.

Turning toward Dr. Manhattan, Kara asked, "How do you plan to deal with this?"

She didn't ask if there was a way through; after all, Dr. Manhattan had obviously crossed it before and would naturally have a way back.

Without hesitation, Dr. Manhattan replied, "Go around it."

"Go around it?" Kara raised an eyebrow, her skepticism clear. Did he think this wall was something ordinary that could simply be circumvented?

And yet, somehow, they actually did bypass it.

Kara wasn't sure how Dr. Manhattan managed it, but the two of them traversed the Wall of Origin without touching it, using the quantum power at his disposal. In reality, the Wall of Origin was infinite, as vast as the infinite multiverse itself. It divided and delineated each multiverse, ensuring they did not overlap or collide. Despite this, Dr. Manhattan effortlessly brought them across.

As she glanced back at the wall, Kara noticed the countless figures trapped within it—entities of immense diversity and seemingly incomprehensible power.

"Perhaps they are the true gods," Dr. Manhattan commented, his tone flat but carrying a subtle edge of mockery.

Kara shrugged, offering neither agreement nor dissent, choosing instead to remain silent.

"What I care about more," Kara said after a moment, eyeing him warily, "is your strength."

Although she wasn't afraid, she couldn't deny the pressure she felt in his presence.

Dr. Manhattan turned his calm gaze toward her and remarked, "Actually, your power also terrifies me."

His words caught her off guard.

"You embody life, yet you also represent death.

You possess the qualities of a perfect universe, with emotions that can reshape reality, rewrite history, and alter the fabric of existence itself.

Compared to your potential, my power is insignificant."

Kara narrowed her eyes, feeling both flattered and insulted by his assessment. "I'd like to hear what you mean by that," she said, her fists clenched as she maintained an almost unnervingly calm tone.

Without missing a beat, Dr. Manhattan explained, "For instance, I can move between places by shifting the universe itself slightly closer to where I want to go. What's the greatest feat of strength you're capable of?"

Kara fell silent, discouraged. Although she hadn't tested her limits, she suspected she could only manipulate a handful of suns at most—a feat impressive by any standard, but trivial in comparison to his reality-warping capabilities.

Five years ago, she wouldn't have even attracted Dr. Manhattan's attention, let alone measured up to him. It was likely her current strength, formidable enough to pressure even him, that had piqued his interest.

Kara glanced at her hands, focusing on the ten light-rings she wore. They appeared as mere decorative bands but contained immense power. However, they were external tools. What she truly desired was for Dr. Manhattan to be overwhelmed by her inherent abilities.

But his casual description of manipulating the universe itself made her feel small. The audacity of him dragging reality closer to himself rather than taking a few steps infuriated her, though she had no rebuttal.

Dr. Manhattan observed her thoughtfully, as if sensing her frustration. He had earlier suggested that Kara would find her own method of crossing the Wall of Origin when returning. But what would that method entail? He didn't elaborate, and Kara didn't press him.

After navigating the wall's obstacle, they finally arrived in another universe. A laboratory stretched out before them, bustling with activity. Inside, more than a dozen identical figures of Dr. Manhattan moved about, each a perfect duplicate of the original.

These duplicates shared his mind and abilities, acting autonomously yet as extensions of the same entity.

Kara observed them with a mix of confusion and curiosity. None of the duplicates seemed surprised by her arrival, likely having already anticipated it.

Dr. Manhattan could perceive time differently, observing past, present, and future simultaneously. He could exist across timelines, interacting with different versions of the same moment. This made conversations with him disorienting, as he often spoke with knowledge of events yet to occur.

Kara guessed these duplicates had already "seen" her presence and therefore remained unfazed.

Her gaze shifted, catching sight of two of the duplicates in a distant chamber. They seemed to be tending to a woman—Dr. Manhattan's current partner.

Kara instinctively covered her face with her hands, peeking between her fingers, unable to fully process the scene before her.

"Apologies," Dr. Manhattan interrupted, his tone unchanged. "We arrived at the wrong timeline. It should be a few days later."

Before Kara could protest, he transported them again—this time to Mars.

The abrupt shift might have suffocated an ordinary person due to the lack of oxygen, but Kara remained unaffected.

"You're..." Kara began, her irritation finally boiling over. "You're playing with time."

Dr. Manhattan regarded her calmly, as if her observation was an inevitable conclusion. For him, time was a malleable construct. He could travel to the past, alter history, and reshape the future. Yet no matter what he changed, his own existence was immutable—a fixed point in causality.

Many had theorized that traveling back in time to stop Dr. Manhattan's transformation would prevent his rise. But such efforts were futile. His existence defied the conventional rules of cause and effect. Even he couldn't undo the sequence of events that created him.

Kara stared at him in frustration, overwhelmed by the realization that for all her strength, his abilities rendered him untouchable.